Armorum Fidei Chapter 31

They slipped out of the Eparch's quarters as quietly as they could. Thankfully no one was around to witness them slip out and close the doors. The Eparch's quarters were a private place and Tyreck's rank should ensure none disturbed his sanctum, but Justini fretted that wouldn't buy them much time. Sooner or later someone would need the Eparch's authorisation on some matter and note his lack of response. It was inevitable someone would dare to open the door and then the bodies would be discovered and the alarm raised.

Justini picked up her polearm and started walking but Resita said, "Stop, you missed a bit."

"Where?" Justini asked trying to turn her helm to look at her own back.

"On your butt," Praxi casually cussed, "I'll get it."

The Sister took out a rag and began rubbing the blood off Justini's arse. Justini suffered the indignity with stoicism, it wouldn't do to be walking about with blood splatters all over their plate. The Celestians had done their best to wipe the gore off but there was only so much they could do without a cleansing chamber and traces of dried blood clung to edges and filigree, despite their best efforts. The risk of drawing notice made Justini's guts clench in anxiety but there was nothing else they could do.

"Got it," Praxi declared with satisfaction.

"My thanks," Justini said, "We'd better get out of here before someone sees us."

Lexia lifted her Triptych high as she, said, "Try to act as if everything is normal, remember anyone could be infected."

Resita sounded uncertain as she questioned, "Surely they can't have corrupted everyone?"

"Probably not," Justini sighed, "But they could have turned anyone, we have no way to tell so must suspect everyone we meet."

Praxi cocked her head and mused, "Maybe we got them all, that lot could have been it."

But Heleyna growled, "Not with the amount of raids Currens Ecclesia has fought off. There's been too many skirmishes, too many failed assaults. We should have suspected they were up to something, we won far too easily each time."

Justini agreed, "We can only assume the alien's hold is tight upon this place. Suspect everyone and trust none. Thankfully we are Celestians, none should bar our passage, so long as we act as if everything is normal then we can move freely. Just do what we always do."

Praxi snorted, "So stomp about as if the God-Emperor was a step behind and treat everyone we meet as if they are unfit to merely look upon us."

The jest brought no chuckles as the squad took up their weapons and stepped into Currens Ecclesia's bowels. Justini took the lead and set off with a rigid step. She tried to walk casually, as casual as possible in power armour, but thinking about her feet messed with her stride. It was like the first day of practising parade marching as a supplicant to the Adepta, the more she tried to act normally the worse she threw herself off.

"Ease up," Praxi hissed, "You're walking like a Battle-Automata."

"Easy for you to say," Justini muttered back.

"Just think of the plan," Praxi urged, "Get to a vox-room and send a warning to everyone."

Resita broke in, "You think there are any uncorrupted squads left to hear us?"

Justini sighed, "There have to be, we have sisters scattered across Train-cities far and wide. Not all of them can be corrupted. Then there's the Space Marines, they are famously immune to Psybrid domination, no way they've been turned. If we can warn them something can be done to burn out this infestation."

The squad fell silent as they encountered their first test. Coming towards them was a procession of Friars, heads down and chanting liturgies of devotion to Him on Terra. They swung ceremonial incense burners that smoked blessed vapours, continually consecrating the walking church day and night. Justini nearly froze as they closed, intending to step aside but the rest of the squad kept walking. They were Celestians, the elite of the Sororitas, the lesser ranks stepped aside for them, not the other way around.

Justini hurriedly corrected her pause and kept walking. The Friars stepped aside and bowed their heads, respecting the Sister's status. Justini led the squad past them at a measured clip but her spine crawled as they did so. These men could be corrupted by the Psybrid's wyrms, their minds and could be infested by alien filth. At any moment they could turn violent, drawing knives to sink into the Sister's backs. The slightest hint of suspicion could trigger an attack, the smallest sign that the Celestians were on to them. Justini had been through many fights in her life but never had she had reason to turn her back on a potential foe, the very idea of facing away from the Friar's churning her guts.

She held her breath as she counted five steps without incident, then five more and the Friar's resumed their march, heading away. Justini breathed out, "Throne, my heart's hammering."

"I know what you mean," Praxi agreed, "I nearly pissed myself."

"We're in power armour," Lexia noted.

"But always facing the enemy," Praxi retorted, "It feels wrong to turn our back on a foe."

"Keep it together," Resita growled, "We have a long way to go yet."

Justini fell silent as more people appeared. They were moving into more crowded sections of Currens Ecclesia and the frequency of encounters increased rapidly. The Celestians kept walking, weapons gripped tight in parade stance. Friars and adepts and Tech-priests came and went, each meeting making Justini sweat profusely under her helm. She was damned glad of the helmet though, she would never have kept her trepidation off her face. Cold fingers of dread clutched her heart and her pulse pounded her eardrums with a rapid beat, betraying her nervousness.

They came to a lift and found several people within already, standing next to a dead-eyed servitor that controlled the elevator with a single metal arm that was all it boasted in articulation. The squad wouldn't stop in normal circumstance so were forced to embark without comment. Justini however kept her polearm ready, eyeing the three adepts as the lift began to ascend. Were they turned, she wondered, were they even now plotting her demise. How much control did the Psybrids exert, she wondered, could they see out of their victim's eyes and steer them like a puppet or was it like keeping an untamed Mastiff on a leash, fighting to make them walk in a straight line. Justini didn't know and that lack of information worried her more than anything, there was no way to know what they faced.

Soon the lift reached its destination, a vox-room high atop one of the seven towers riding Currens' Ecclesia's back. The mesh door slid aside as the Servitor droned by rote, "Top floor, vox-control, honour the blessed martyrs for they walk in paradise." The adepts stepped out and Justini looked upon the room with hope, that was swiftly dashed. The vox-room was a crowded place, filled with bustling adepts who laboured over glowing consoles with large headsets over their ears. Constant chatter thronged loudly and many incense burners smoked atop cogitators, creating a heady funk of smells that clawed through her respirator. There were far more people here than she had expected, too many, some of them had to be corrupted, and all it would take was one of them to sound an alarm. Tyreck's masters would be fools not to placed agents in this room, and Justini knew the Psybrids were anything but fools.

"This isn't going to work," Lexia whispered.

"No it's not, we'll have to try another way," Justini agreed.

Many faces arose to peer at the Sister's standing in the lift, curiosity creeping over expressions. Praxi hastily called, "Surprise inspection, carry on with your duties."

Many glances were exchanged but Resita barked, "Idleness is a sin, back to your labours and give thanks for your lot in life!"

Heads hastily returned to work as the Celestians inched back and Lexia whispered, "What now?"

"We could try a secondary vox-room," Praxi muttered.

"No good," Justini sighed, "They'll be the same."

Resita sounded thoughtful as she mused, "What about contacting Canoness Phantea?"

"How do we not know she's been turned?" Heleyna growled.

"She's been with us the whole time," Lexia protested.

"Not the whole time," Praxi growled, "She spent a lot of time with Tyreck, and she got separated from us in Narthi."

"We can't be sure either way," Justini grumbled, "We can't trust anyone. We can't send a message either… so all we can do is run. We'll try to grab a Rhino and drive out of here, before anyone notes we're gone. Servitor, to the garage."

"Compliance, give thanks for His beneficence," the Servitor droned as its one arm pulled the lever. The lift quickly descended, dropping through the levels of the walking church. Light flashed over their eyes as floors came and went and Justini felt her anxiety increasing. Her back was dripping sweat and clamminess coated her palms in cold liquid. Weirdly her throat was drying out, leaving her desperate for a drink even as he bladder sloshed fully. Then a loud clunk rang out as the lift hit the bottom and the Servitor droned, "Lowest floor, garage, walk in His light."

Justini stepped out of the lift but was brought up short as she saw crowds of Sisters working over the Rhinos. Squads stood in knots about the Transports, buffing the armour and painting the sacred iconography anew. Adepts worked over loudhailers that would blare hymnals in battle while turret gunners polished the glassic frontages of Immolator tanks. A hundred Sisters of Battle laboured within the garage, all busy with their tasks and seemingly unaware anything was wrong. Their bare arms revealing many scars and their cropped hair greasy with sweat.

Justini saw Sister Superior Bethane look over and call, "Celestians?! How may we aid you?"

Justini asked, "What's going on?"

Bethane sniffed, Eparch Tyreck ordered a full maintenance cycle on all transports and tanks. He wasn't them freshly blessed for the next round of missionary expeditions. I'm surprised you didn't know."

"No one tells us nothing," Praxi covered swiftly.

Bethane rolled her eyes and grumbled, "Same the galaxy over, those who actually have to do the job are always the last to know."

Justini probed, "So… there wouldn't be a Rhino free?"

"None," Bethane sighed then frowned, "Why, do you need to go anywhere?"

"No," Justini hastily cut in, "Merely checking, we had better report to the Canoness."

"I can vox her," Bethane ventured.

"We can handle it," Justini demurred, "As you were."

Bethane returned to her squadmates with a shrug. Justini would dearly have loved to trust her but dared not risk it, there was no way to tell if she hid Xenos hatred behind that gruff manner. With no other recourse the Celestians turned and marched along the side of the garage, keeping their weapons ready. A few tired Sisters glanced over but none halted their labours, working their tanks with diligent care.

The Celestians steered for a flight of stairs but Heleyna growled, "What now?"

"We're trapped," Praxi muttered, "No way out, no way to signal. I'm fresh out of ideas."

Justini sighed, "Then we'll have to take a risk and head to Phantea's quarters."

"What if she's been… turned?" Lexia hissed.

"Then we'll deal with it," Justini answered, "We'll check her out first, see if there's anything suspicious to her manner. In her quarters we may find proof, one way or another. We'll just have to deal with whatever we find when we get there."